Blog List

A gun is a tool for self-defense

April 13, 2009 - Lee Smith

I had the opportunity (my first) to shoot some clay pigeons over the weekend. It was interesting and fun. A couple of my in-laws are much more proficient than I, so I enjoyed their tutelage and skill.

We also engaged in some target practice with pistols. One of my brothers-in-law is a gun club member and does lots of shooting. He has a nice collection. I have a replica 1851 Navy revolver (cap and ball), so that was my contribution.

It was ironic that a night later, Lesley Stahl was on "60 Minutes" having a typical media panic attack about recent shootings around the country. She spent some time in Virginia, at a gun show, and talked about various gun sale loopholes and the easy access criminals and the crazies have to guns. She kind of led things along that routine road of, well, let's just limit guns and the problem will go away. Right. Like Prohibition worked in the 1920s?

Guns are powerful tools for self-defense, but our nation tends to make it difficult for law-abiding, decent citizens to utilize them. Stahl noted the horrific Virginia Tech shooting a few years ago. Well, guns were banned on that campus. A lot of good that did the people on the receiving end of the bullets. It didn't deter the shooter, either.

I don't have a problem with permitting and conceal-and-carry laws that try to weed out criminals and crazies from having guns. But we'd have fewer deaths if innocent, well-armed, well-trained citizens would be allowed to be in a position to stop the nuts when the time comes.